The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2 - Everything You Need To Know

Based on Michael Connelly's novel with the same name, Netflix's "The Lincoln Lawyer" has proven to be a hit with the fans, amassing 1.85 billion viewing minutes in its first week of streaming (via Deadline). Building upon the success of the 2011 movie, starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller, the series is actually based on "The Brass Verdict," a sequel to "The Lincoln Lawyer" novel published in 2008. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo took on the main role in the Netflix project, and his performance was praised by fans and critics alike, with the series amassing a 79% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

In her USA Today review of "The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 1, Kelly Lawler claimed that "it's the kind of series Netflix should be making all the time." It looks like her voice was heard over at the Netflix headquarters, as the streaming platform confirmed in June 2022 that the legal drama has been renewed for Season 2, which hit Netflix in July 2023.

According to an Instagram post by executive producer and staff writer Michael Connelly — who also happens to be the author of the "The Lincoln Lawyer," the source novel series and inspiration for the Netflix series — Season 2 of the freewheeling legal drama started filming on October 31, 2022. That official cameras-rolling date comes roughly six months after Netflix debuted Season 1 globally, back in May 2022. According to What's On Netflix, that episode drop occurred 18 months after Netflix acquired the rights to the series from ViacomCBS (now part of Paramount), which passed on bringing the show to a broadcast platform in 2020. 

On June 6, 2023, Netflix announced that it will release Season 2 of "The Lincoln Lawyer" in two batches. Part 1 arrived on the streaming service on July 6, 2023, with Part 2 ready for viewing on August 3, 2023. Each chunk will consist of five episodes.

Season 1 of "The Lincoln Lawyer" ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, with Mickey going for a surf while being watched from afar by a mysterious man with a tattoo on his forearm. Careful viewers will be able to connect the dots and realize that he is probably the same man mentioned on the stand by a key witness in Jesus Menendez's case, Glory Days. Menendez, imprisoned for a murder he didn't commit, was freed after Glory testified that Menendez is actually innocent, and the real killer was a man with a tattooed forearm. She doesn't reveal his identity, but seeing as moments later, a man that matches Glory's description is stalking Mickey on the beach, it's safe to assume that Season 2 will follow the fallout of Glory's testimony and reveal the mysterious man's identity.

We also know that "The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 2 will be based at least in part on Connelly's fourth Mickey Haller novel, "The Fifth Witness" (via Netflix). The focus of "The Fifth Witness" is the case of Lisa Trammel, a long-time client of Haller's who is accused of murder. In the first part of Season 2, Mickey gets together with Lisa, a chef at the restaurant where he shares an a dinner with Maggie McPherson, fraught over their conflicting careers. Mickey learns that Lisa is the last holdout in an aggressive land developer's ploy to gentrify the restaurant's neighborhood. Meanwhile, the investigation into the murder of which Jesus Menendez was wrongfully accused is reopened, the potential actual culprit is unveiled, and Lorna deals with juggling law school (where a nasty guy from her past has been appointed dean) with her job working for Mickey.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo reprises his role as Mickey Haller in Netflix's "The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 2. He's joined by co-stars Neve Campbell, Jazz Raycole, and Angus Sampson. Becki Newton also returned as Lorna Taylor, Mickey's second ex-wife and legal aide, who was seen applying for law school at the end of Season 1.

Neve Campbell's inclusion in the cast is bound to raise some eyebrows, as Season 1 ended with her character Maggie McPherson packing up her stuff and leaving her job as a criminal prosecutor. Moreover, in "The Fifth Witness," she still works at the Los Angeles District Attoerney's office, so it will be interesting to see how the show's writers will overcome these contradicting plot points. Departing from the novel's original plot to a certain degree seems like the most likely scenario. 

On October 26, 2022, Deadline reported that Lana Parrilla, most recently starring in "Why Women Kill" and "Once Upon a Time," would join "The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 2 as Lisa Trammell, a potential love interest for Mickey who struggles to keep her restaurant open in the wake of an encroaching real estate developer. Additionally (per Deadline), Yaya DaCosta, late of "Chicago Med" is set to join the series in Season 2 as Andrea Freeman, a tenacious prosecutor and Mickey's rival. Plus, Matt Angel ("Dave," "NCIS") will be playing a podcaster who may not be what he seems (via Deadline). TheWrap reported in February 2023 that iconic Mexican actor Angelica Maria will join the cast as Mickey's self-absorbed mother Elena. And according to Broadway World, Marlene Forte will return to the series in the recurring role of Judge Teresa Medina.

David E. Kelly, the mastermind behind the serialized adaptation of Michael Connelly's Mickey Haller novels will return to "The Lincoln Lawyer" as executive director and co-showrunner. He will be joined by Ted Humphrey, who'll hold the same positions as Kelly, alongside being the show's lead writer. 

Netflix has announced that the showrunners' team will have one more member for "The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 2, as Dailyn Rodriguez (seen above) was confirmed to join the crew as co-showrunner and executive director. She was the showrunner behind USA Network's "Queen of the South", as well as NBC's "The Night Shift." Both of these shows were rather dark in tone and touched upon some pretty serious subjects, including drug trade, abuse, and poverty. 

Judging by her past work, Rodriguez's addition to "The Lincoln Lawyer" team could mean that Netflix's legal drama will take up a more serious undertone. On the other hand, her experience in "The Night Shift" could mean that she was brought in to help the show follow a serialized plot structure, all the while continuing to include self-contained cases that get resolved over the course of one or two episodes. 

Three weeks before the arrival of the first part of "The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 2, Netflix released a first look at the new installments of the Michael Connelly adaptation in the form of an official trailer. Scored appropriately to a cover of Joe Jackson's cocky "I'm the Man," the clip package finds Mickey Heller enjoying the newfound fame, status, and attention he's received in the wake of the events of Season 1. Followed by photographers and well-covered by the legal and mainstream media, Mickey catches the eye of a woman named Lisa, and things get hot and heavy quickly. But the lines may blur when Lisa gets arrested and enlists Mickey to serve as her defense attorney.

With "The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 2 split into two parts, the trailer for the latter half — released by Netflix on July 13, 2023 — could afford to be a bit less vague on plot details and detail the ramifications of Mickey's romantic and legal activities alike. It begins with Mickey taking a punch, and taking it badly. There's a lot of blood and so much damage done that the lawyer must convalesce in a hospital for a spell. Mickey's injuries (and a near fatal attempted vehicular homicide) are almost certainly related to his involvement with new client Lisa, on trial for heinous crimes but who just might get the flirtatious lawyer to settle down again. The trailer, and Season 2 of "The Lincoln Lawyer" look to culminate in an epic trial, one in which Mickey meets a worthy adversary in a tough prosecutor not easily fooled by the Lincoln Lawyer's usual tricks.